The Tribune

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

THE landscape of COVID-19 is ever-changing, as science continues to uncover more about the virus. Now, it seems, there are indications vaccinated people who do contract the virus have a much slimmer chance of transmitting it to others than earlier projected – another boon for global confidence.

While there are still circumstances where infections occur, mostly found in people over 60, this has supposedly given the competent authority enough confidence to announce the ease of restrictions for vaccinated people.

The announcement came after two consecutive weeks of rising cases in the country, leaving no doubt we are in the feared third wave. This wave is proving to be the most threatening thus far. Looking outward, the US, which has about a third of its adults fully vaccinated and 40 percent of its total population receiving at least one dose of a vaccine, is still not out of the woods.

However, some states are averaging higher case counts than ever – 7,000 new cases a day in Michigan, for example. Provinces across Canada - Ontario in particular - are experiencing the worst of the pandemic as the struggle to vaccinate the population collides with the limited supply of vaccines, and their population’s fatigue with COVID-19 restrictions.

India, Thailand, Brazil, Peru and South Korea are all facing troubling times where less than five percent of their populations are vaccinated and infections are spreading like wildfire.

It is no secret that countries like the US, which secured for themselves the vast majority of vaccines on the market, are the ones setting the gold standard. Even though reports from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed t he UK variant is now the most prevalent in the country, confidence seems to only increase as President Biden just lauded his administration’s success in hitting 200 million vaccinations in their first 100 days.

This is an incredible feat - but for many countries, including The Bahamas, the picture looks a bit different.

COVID-19 has battered our economy, sucking the life out of our tourism industry. I would imagine any positive sign that may increase American travellers’ confidence could be seen as an opportunity for us. But it might not be as black and white as them being ready to travel and us being open to receive them – even with eased restrictions.

While it may increase our attractiveness as a destination, we are still very much in the heat of a battle with COVID-19. As a result, many have found the May 1 date for removing RT-PCR testing as a prerequisite for visitors who have proof of full vaccination as a gamble. Certainly, there are some who view this as a practical step to pump life back into a limp economy.

Certainly, one cannot argue the need for something to take place in that regard.

However, there is also the contingent of Bahamians who remember what felt like a rushed opening on July 1 of last year, which many believe plunged the country into a second wave. And while this has never been acknowledged by the government, those opinions have not gone away.

Simultaneously, we are struggling to get our people vaccinated fast enough due to limiting circumstances such as a lack of supply of the vaccines and manpower. Juxtaposed with cases surging and Princess Margaret Hospital becoming overwhelmed once again due to the number of individuals needing to be admitted, one could conclude that we have some pressing matters to consider before we ease restrictions.

Also, we should consider that despite America’s good standing as far as it relates to vaccinations, the CDC is not budging on its requirements stipulating even those who are fully vaccinated must be tested.

Their website reads: “All air passengers coming to the United States, including US citizens and fully vaccinated people, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result no more than three days before travel or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past three months before they board a flight to the United States.”

Yet, we are willing to take such a risk so soon. It honestly seems too rushed, and we can only hope this doesn’t lead to more problems in an already challenging situation being faced by Bahamians.

To date, just over 21,000 people have been given their first shot of the vaccine – around five percent of our total population. Although we are scheduled to receive an additional 67,200 vaccines through the COVAX facility next month, at the rate vaccinations are moving, Health Minister Renward Wells’ notion of achieving herd immunity by the summer has already evaporated into thin air.

With no idea where the next set of vaccines are coming from, as small as chances are for infection to spread from fully vaccinated people, the risk may still be too great for us if we have no guarantees about how we are going to vaccinate an additional 100,000 to 150,000 people.

That is an additional 200,000 to 300,000 doses of the vaccine.

This has yet to receive a definitive answer from the government. And if we are being fair about it, they are probably scratching their heads just like many other governments are. But if they are unable to answer such important question, perhaps they can answer another. With all things considered, is May 1 the best time to stop testing vaccinated visitors coming in with more infectious and deadlier variants hopping around the globe? Just last week, Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis warned of the concern about strains identified from the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa and India.

With the US rampant with the UK variant, it’s only a matter of time before it arrives here in strength if we open the doors too soon.